2 People Injured In Accident On I-64

JAMES CITY — Westbound lanes were closed for half an hour. Authorities think an altercation preceded the one-car wreck.

Two people were taken to local hospitals Wednesday after a single-car crash on westbound Interstate 64 near Busch Gardens.

The accident occurred shortly before 4 p.m. It shut down the westbound lanes for about 30 minutes, backing traffic up to J. Clyde Morris Boulevard.

Lane S. Snider of Lipton Drive in Newport News was driving a 2000 Pontiac Sunfire when the car struck a dirt embankment on the side of the road and overturned, according to Sgt. H.A. Nealy of the Virginia State Police. Snider and his estranged wife, Stephanie Snider of Tewkesbury Way in James City, were trapped inside the car.

Some kind of altercation apparently occurred between the couple before the accident, Nealy said. It's unclear exactly what happened in the car afterward, but state police are investigating, he said. No charges were filed Wednesday.

Lane Snider and Stephanie Snider were arrested in June 2005 after a domestic dispute at their home. Both were charged with assault and battery of a family member. Lane Snider, a night news editor at the Daily Press, is also facing rape, sodomy and aggravated sexual battery charges in a case involving a girl younger than 13. He goes on trial in November.

The westbound lanes of I-64 were closed from about 4:15 p.m. until about 4: 45 p.m. to allow a medical helicopter to land and pick up Lane Snider. He was flown to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital. Stephanie Snider was taken to Riverside Regional Medical Center in Newport News. Both were listed in fair condition Wednesday night.